1957 Chevy Bel Air - Project American Heroes, Part 1

The Mission: Build A 1957 Chevy To Help U.S. War Veterans Of Iraq And Afghanistan.

A trip to www.projectamericanheroes.org gives the necessary information on the build and for donating to the Armed Forces Foundation. The website provides our service men and women the opportunity to view the seven renderings of the '57, and cast a vote for their favorite version.

PROJECT AMERICAN HEROES ONLINE ARCHIVE

Here they are, the links to all the stories about Project American Heroes, live on the Super Chevy website. Just click on the links below to see the story you're interested in!

Our country is great because so many Americans have been willing to protect our country by serving in the armed forces. Indisputably recognized as "American Heroes," many of them have sacrificed their lives for their country. Others have been seriously wounded in battle, resulting in life altering consequences. It's our privilege to come alongside those who have paid so great a sacrifice, and support the families of our military personnel who have been wounded in the line of duty. No matter what the opinion of the legitimacy of the wars in which this country is engaged, the people of the United States have consistently demonstrated their character and strength by the unanimous support of our men and women in uniform.

Now, a team of hot rodders has come together to build a state-of-the-art, up-to-the-minute 1957 Chevy convertible, in an effort that is being called Project American Heroes. The car will tour the country, allowing people to donate to the families of wounded service members. Then in January 2008, Project American Heroes will be auctioned off, commission free, at the Barrett-Jackson auction, in Scottsdale, Arizona. All proceeds will be donated to the Armed Forces Foundation to serve the needs of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans and their families.

In order to involve the men and women of the U.S. military, there is an exclusive opportunity for them to go to the website, www.projectamericanheroes.org, and vote for one of the seven renderings posted. Once a winning rendering is chosen, you'll be able to read about it right here in Super Chevy. The website also gives visitors the opportunity to donate online to the Armed Forces Foundation. Let's support our troops, break out the plastic, and help us get Project American Heroes rolling.

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The Roadster Shop Tri-Five chassis features hand-fabricated 10-gauge steel framerails, which are TIG-welded both inside and out for superior strength and appearance. The ride height is dropped 3 inches by lowering the 4x4 1/4-inch tubing center rails.

So much for the preliminaries, now let's talk hardware. Put simply, this 1957 Chevy features the finest parts on the market. As a foundation, Project American Heroes will roll on Roadster Shop's Tri-Five chassis. Not content to use bent square tubing, the chassis features hand-sculpted framerails that offer the ultimate package in both strength and appearance. The Roadster Shop Tri-Five chassis, which is built in the company's shop in Elgin, Illinois, gives a 3-inch drop in ride height, and the ability to bolt it in using the stock factory body mount locations. Owner Neil Gerber and his sons, Phil and Jeremy, describe their chassis as transforming the driving experience of one of the most beautiful cars ever made from archaic '50s standards to the best handling characteristics of any modern day performance car.

"The stock Tri-Five Chevy drives like a boat. Take any car from that era, and it just wanders down the street. It rocks and rolls, you get a fairly smooth ride out of it, but steering, going around corners, or going down the highway ... it's pretty much all over the place. It takes two hands on the steering wheel to control the car. You feel good because people are looking it at, but the driving experience is not very enjoyable," says Neil. "It's an effort to drive those cars. The whole concept behind a street rod chassis, or our Tri-Five Chassis, is to transform the handling to the level of a late model sports car. It'll ride, it'll handle, it'll go around corners. You go down the highway at 75 mph effortlessly. The Tri-Five chassis will take greater amounts of horsepower, like a big-block motor with a late model transmission, and be able to put it to the ground at the level of the best performance car that you can drive out of the factory dealer's showroom floor."

The ironman rigidity of the Roadster Shop chassis allows the Heidt's Hot Rod Shop Superide II independent front suspension and Triangulated Four Bar rear suspension to work. Gerber comments: "Heidt's is without a doubt an excellent manufacturer. It has great service, and the products just plain work. They carry a front end for every chassis we make." The Roadster Shop can equip its Tri-Five chassis with Heidt's independent rear suspension for the ultimate in handling, should the owner desire.

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The Roadster Shop chassis is the only one on the market to feature front and rear sculpted framerail sections instead of bent square tubing. Construction of each chassis is done one at a time, with the highest regard for structural integrity.

The heavy gauge, American-made, 1957 Chevy Bel Air convertible spot-welded metal shell is supplied by Cars Inc. The "core" of the body from Cars Inc. is an original '57 cowl section with a factory serial number. The rest of the car is made with exact reproduction sheetmetal that sets the gold standard for fitment and quality. This restored body comes complete with all fenders, quarters, braces, pans, and even the convertible top bow assembly. Having a particular fondness for '57s, this particular writer was found gawking and drooling over the impeccable quality of the body for hours. The Cars Inc. '57 Bel Air body sitting at the Roadster Shop in Elgin, Illinois, appears to have been plucked off the assembly line 50 years ago, and perfectly preserved for the Project American Heroes build.

The build will also include a full slate of suppliers of the very best equipment available. Flaming River power rack-and-pinion steering will ensure that the '57 goes where it's pointed. Project American Heroes will also feature a stout Moser Engineering solid rear axle. Air Ride Technologies will not only provide ride height adjustability, it will produce the optimum combination of performance, reliability, and ride comfort. Intro Wheels will mount Nitto Tires that will fill the wheelwells nicely. Providing the stopping power will be binders from Stainless Steel Brakes.

The motor build will be covered in next month's Super Chevy, so stay tuned. To former and current members of the armed forces, we express our gratitude for your efforts to keep this nation strong and secure. The Project American Heroes team will be building this '57 as an expression of our respect for your patriotic service.

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1957 Chevy Bel Air - Project American Heroes, Part 1

A trip to www.projectamericanheroes.org gives the necessary information on the build and for donating to the Armed Forces Foundation. The website provides our service men and women the opportunity to view the seven renderings of the '57, and cast a vote for their favorite version.

The Roadster Shop Tri-Five chassis features hand-fabricated 10-gauge steel framerails, which are TIG-welded both inside and out for superior strength and appearance. The ride height is dropped 3 inches by lowering the 4x4 1/4-inch tubing center rails.

The Roadster Shop chassis is the only one on the market to feature front and rear sculpted framerail sections instead of bent square tubing. Construction of each chassis is done one at a time, with the highest regard for structural integrity.

The rails are pinched in the front to allow for proper turning radius and suspension travel while accommodating larger front tires. The Heidt's Superide II independent front suspension can be equipped with optional chrome or stainless components.

One piece, 2-inch drop steel spindles help establish proper ride height without sacrificing suspension geometry, and are much stronger than cast-iron spindles.

Front stainless 1 1/8-inch tubular upper and lower control arms are located at optimal mounting positions employing urethane bushings. Stainless tubular motor mounts are available for any engine combination and also feature urethane bushings to dampen vibrations.

The upper control arms use threaded adjusters for the wheel alignment. These threaded adjusters, unlike eccentric adjusters, will never "slip" and lose alignment, no matter how big a bump you hit. We're talking a smooth ride that allows for a very low stance that is highly steerable, with no bumpsteer and built-in anti-dive.

Flaming River front mount rack-and-pinion steering can incorporate either a stock column or an aftermarket unit.

The Cars Inc. body maintains all-stock body mount locations and, of course, the Roadster Shop does the same with its chassis. Stock mounting points for the radiator support and all inner fender panels are preserved.

The Roadster Shop chassis features a complete dropout trans mount for any transmission known to man.

The chassis is shown mocked up with a standard Ford 9-inch rearend. The final project will be equipped with one of Moser's new fabricated 9-inch rears. The suspension is a Heidt's Triangulated Four Link that features stainless control arms, urethane bushings, and the sway bar mounted on the rear crossmember.

Cars Inc. had its complete 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible body on display at the Detroit Autorama in March 2007. They were handing out flyers for the Project American Heroes build, demonstrating their enthusiastic support for our men and women in the armed forces.

The body is built to OEM specifications. It's hard to stop looking at the Cars Inc. body, and its assembly-line perfection.

When was the last time you saw a 1957 trunk area look like this? The all-new American-made metal is OEM correct.

The floors are equally superb in quality. Extra effort to replicate the factory process is taken, with the spot welds done in the same manner as factory.

As body alignment is adjusted (as with any car), the Roadster Shop crew adds braces to insure that the panels stay in the proper position.

When the body is shipped, it's securely attached to a pallet that can incorporate wheels for easy movement.

Neil Gerber, owner of Roadster Shop, is standing with fabricator Doug Leetzow. Behind them are Chad Glasshagel and Jeremy Gerber, who will be building the Project American Heroes 1957 Bel Air. We've got work to do.

This 1969 Chevy Camaro coupe is the 2008 Project American heroes car and we begin the build process by prepping the shell and installing body panels, doors, and trunk lid - Super Chevy Magazine » Read More

This 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible is the Project American Heroes car, built in tribute to America's veterans, and is being improved by CARS Inc. with a Roadster Shop frame, Heidt's suspension, SSBC brakes, Flaming River rack and pinion steering, and a Moser rearend - Super Chevy Magazine » Read More